Isaiah Saxon (born 1983)Mike Sager, "These Are the Directors of the Future," Esquire, November 19, 2009. is an American film and music video director. He co-founded the animation studio Encyclopedia Pictura, and the online community DIY.org.
Early life and education Saxon was born and raised in Aptos, California.Jon Kalish, "Making Cutting-Edge Animation On A DIY Homestead," NPR, July 16, 2011. He majored in film directing at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Career Encyclopedia Pictura
Saxon and Sean Hellfritsch founded Encyclopedia Pictura as a directing duo in 2004, before expanding into a trio when Daren Rabinovitch joined in 2007, and ultimately transforming into an animation studio.Jenna Wortham, "The Making of Bjork's 3-D 'Wanderlust' Video," Wired, April 21, 2008. Through Encyclopedia Pictura, Saxon has directed music videos, short films and commercials. The studio is known for creating ambitious music videos and short films with an organic, handmade quality."25 New Faces of Independent Film," Filmmaker, Summer 2008.
In 2007, Saxon and Hellfritsch directed the music video for the Grizzly Bear single "Knife". The video was filmed in Death Valley, CA and Brooklyn, NY. Their first major video, it was listed at #26 on Pitchfork's list of the top 50 music videos of the 2000s.Scott Plagenhoef, "The Top 50 Music Videos of the 2000s," Pitchfork, August 30, 2009.
Following the "Knife" video, Saxon got a call from Björk, asking Encyclopedia Pictura to direct a music video for her single "Wanderlust". Their concept was inspired by the work of Hayao Miyazaki, Stanley Kubrick, and Walt Disney's work from the 1930s. The video was shot at Matthew Barney's studio in New York City, in stereoscopic 3-D using a 3-D camera rig they designed and built. Combining handmade puppetry, scale modeling, CGI and live action, it took over nine months to complete.Melena Ryzik, "Bjork in 3-D: The 'Wanderlust' Video," New York Times, April 1, 2008. The "Wanderlust" video premiered at the Deitch Projects gallery in Long Island City, Queens, and was shown in 3-D at Saatchi & Saatchi's 2008 New Directors Showcase.Ann-Christine Diaz, "Saatchi Remembers Arden, Toasts Fearlessness," Advertising Age, June 19, 2008. It won three D&AD Yellow Pencil awards"Wanderlust," dandad.org, 2009. and the UK Music Video Award for Video of the Year.2008 winners , ukmva.com, 2008. Spin magazine named it the best music video of 2008,Abigail Everdell, "The 20 Best Music Videos of 2008," Spin, December 15, 2008. and Pitchfork ranked it #21 on its list of the top 50 music videos of the 2000s.
Saxon directed the animated music video for the Panda Bear song "Boys Latin", which premiered on Adult Swim in 2015.Daniel Kreps, "Panda Bear Shares Trippy 'Boys Latin' Animated Video," Rolling Stone, December 15, 2014. It was nominated for the UK Music Video Award for Best Animation in a Video."UK Music Video Awards 2015: here are the nomination…" Promo News, September 30, 2015.
DIY.org
In 2011, Saxon began developing a feature film titled DIY, about a group of kids that rebuild their town after a flood.Nick Bilton, "Disruptions: A Beacon to Silicon Valley, From a Start-Up for Children," New York Times, May 20, 2012. The following year, Saxon, Zach Klein, Andrew Sliwinski and Daren Rabinovitch founded DIY.org, an online educational community for kids, with a storefront in San Francisco. Saxon served as chief creative officer from the company's founding in 2012 through 2014.Ashlee Vance, "DIY.org: Be Prepared for 21st Century Scouting," Bloomberg Businessweek, July 11, 2013. He creates the skill patches that are sent out to community members.Jennifer Champagne, "Isaiah Saxon Creates Awesome New Merit Badges for Kids," Paste, March 3, 2015.E.D.W. Lynch, "Adorably Nerdy Merit Badges for Kids," Laughing Squid, February 25, 2015.
Trout Gulch Starting in 2008, Saxon, Hellfritsch and Rabinovitch transformed 10 acres in the wooded hills in Aptos, California, into Trout Gulch, a community where they built their own houses, farmed, and produced digital animation. The intent was to blend technology with nature.Chris McDonnell, "Artist of the Day: Encyclopedia Pictura," Cartoon Brew, April 17, 2013. At its peak, 18 people lived at Trout Gulch."Make: Talk 018 – An interview with Isaiah Saxon of DIY.org," Make: Talk, November 20, 2012.
Honors and awards Named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker magazine, 2008 D&AD Yellow Pencil for Best Music Video, Music Video Art Direction and Music Video Special Effects ("Wanderlust"), 2009 Named one of 25 "Best and Brightest" by Esquire magazine, 2009 UK Music Video Awards Video of the Year (for "Wanderlust"), 2008 #1 on Spin magazine's 20 Best Music Videos of 2008 (for "Wanderlust") #21, Pitchfork's Top 50 Music Videos of the 2000s (for "Wanderlust") #26, Pitchfork's Top 50 Music Videos of the 2000s (for "Knife") Nominee, UK Music Video Awards Best Animation in a Video (for "Boys Latin"), 2015
Filmography Feature film The Legend of Ochi (2025)
Short film Year Title Notes2005 Grow Micro/Macro 2008 How Will You Create the Universe? Trailer for Spore video gameLiv Siddall, "Pictura's Best Pictures: Encyclopedia Pictura talk us through some of their best cinematic works," It's Nice That, Spring 2015. 2010 The Internet Soundtrack by Dan Deacon 2013 Jay Nelson: Fort Builder 2016 The Tale of Hillbelly
Music video Year Title Artist 2005 "Soo Tall" Zion I 2006 "Haven't Been Yourself" Seventeen Evergreen 2007 "Knife" Grizzly Bear 2008 "Wanderlust" Björk 2015 "Boys Latin" Panda Bear
References
External links Official website Encyclopedia Pictura website DIY.org website